The Biodome Project

EMPACTS ProjectPhysics and Human AffairsMelody Thomas, Instructor

By: Josh Huffman, Raul Flores, Joseph Childress, Chelsea Glass, Hannah Saia

Overviewa. What is a Biodome and their Uses

b. Where are they located

c. How Exactly they work in creating rare ecosystems

d. How To Build A Biodome

e. Plans on Creating a Biodome here at NWACC and the Benefits

What is a Biodome A biodome is a scientific facility which

mimics an ecosystem in a controlled environment indoors.

designed inside geodesic spheres create large amounts of room which can

be useful in creating a credible replica of a real ecosystem

Uses Research education Science education Experimentation Creating an ecosystem that is not

common in the local region

Biodomes are EVERYWHERE Dense urban areas

-precisely controlled

Visit rare climates-may not be easy to reach

Dense Urban Areas Precisely controlled , can be different

regions and climates

Explore Able to explore different rare climates

they are not used to.

How Does It Work Different covering material Inside heats up Plants reradiate CONVECTION

Different CoveringUsually transparent

Solar Radiation Infrared, UV, and Visible Light Absorbed by plants Plants reradiate the thermal energy into

infrared Retained due to walls and roof Trapped

Convective Heat TransferMain component for heatingConvection- main transfer of heat from one place to another by movement of fluids

Greenhouse Gasses 4 main gasses: Water Vapor, Carbon Dioxide,

Methane, and Ozone Gases heat water in biodome Separates the H2O molecules and scatters them out,

making it less dense and easily dispersed Easier for heat to travel to the cooler parts of plant

or surface , making everything extremely hot. Law of Thermodynamics: when two thermodynamic

systems with unequal temperatures are brought into contact with one another

Temperature Rises Venting systems

POLLINATION YOU ASK?o bees

i. Most bio domes have their own bees in order to pollinate and reproduce plants.

o Automatic Fertilization Systemsi. Biodomes can also use a fertilization system. These

systems are scattered throughout the structure and are time activated to fertilize the plants

o Water Supply i. In order to pollinate and reproduce plants need to have

water. An irrigation system is needed to regularly water the plants since it is cutoff from the rain

How to Build a Greenhouse know what you want to grow and how much It is important to build a greenhouse with enough

space to allow growth inside and can hold enough soil for the plants.

Understand the hemisphere you live in Northern Hemisphere you want the side with the

most surface area facing south and vice versa for Southern Hemisphere. This is so you can have the most unobstructed sunlight.

Find a surface that will sufficiently drain water away and not flood

We Built It • The class decided to build a 1-1/2’

X 3’ scale down version of what is to become the full size dome.

• Materials: 10 PVC pipes, 1-¼” metal screws and nuts, saw bits and 2 metal conduit tubes

• Problems encountered: When using the PVC we found that there were no connectors for the vertices of the dome. We had to buy bars of conduit and use them to join the pipes with screws.

• The finished dome will be built out of metal conduit. We had to use PVC pipes in the model because we didn’t have the budget for a conduit model. The model is built based on a 2V frequency structure. The frequency is how many structural units there is per section of the dome. The frequency is used depending on the size and rigidity of the dome. Seeing that our dome is only going to be 7’6” high and 15’ in diameter a 2V will be enough to maintain the structure.

The Do’s and Don’ts

Beneficial to NWACC

Future EAST projects• Engineering• Would being able to build a

properly working biodome• Environmental Biology• Would be able to plant and

create ecosystems that are not in our environment

• Physics• Would be able to learn how

the Greenhouse Effect works with a model hat demonstrates it

Community• It would allow the

community to enjoy various different plant life

• NWACC• Giving NWACC another

reason why they stand out from others by offering hands on methods of teaching

• Being able to build on to the biodome to further research, study, and enjoyment

References Website we used as reference. Here all the

steps are listed and all the necessary tools are too. The links provide much more detailed information.

• http://www.desertdomes.com/tips.html www.biodomegreenhouse.com/ geodesicgreenhouse.org/tag/biodome-

greenhouse www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/greenhou/

building.htm